Anthropomorphism - What a Stupid Horse

Anthropomorphism - The attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object. (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/anthropomorphism)

Simply saying something like "that stupid chair"  is interpreting these things in human terms. People can be stupid; chairs cannot be "stupid". 


Saying "that is a stupid horse" or saying that "that horse did that on purpose so I would fall off" is the same thing. You are attributing positive and negative human behaviors and intentions to an animal. The intentions of the horse are not the same as the intentions of a human. The intentions of a human may be based on things like spite, hate, envy, etc. as well as love, empathy or compassion. Intentions of a horse are based solely on its evolutionary characteristics. Horses have evolved as prey animals. They are always on alert and have a strong "flight" response to perceived threats and harms. That is why a horse is likely to shy or buck at the slightest thing like a shadow on the ground, or a bird, or a sound. It is in their nature to be ready to flee in the face of danger or the unknown. The underlying intention of this behavior has nothing to do with the rider; it has everything to do with its evolutionary survival mechanisms.

So how does one deal with this?

I have watched different people deal with this in different ways. One of the most common responses is to get angry and try to wrestle with the horse - pulling hard at the reins and kicking the horse (my daughter used to do this too). This may temporarily control the horse but what did this teach the horse? It taught the horse that it will be punished for doing something in which it has no control. It's the same as calling a dog that won't come. Once the dog finally comes, I see many people so angry that they beat the dog. What did that just teach the dog? It taught it that if it comes, it will be punished/abused. That is the complete opposite of the lesson that you want to teach your dog. This is also the complete opposite of the lesson that you want to teach your horse. For the dog, regardless of how angry you are, when it finally comes, you need to be full of praise and positive reinforcement (such as treats). This teaches the dog that to come is a good thing to be rewarded. That will make the dog more eager to come the next time. For the horse, it's the same thing. You need to reassure the horse that it has nothing to worry about. You need to continue as if nothing happened. By not acknowledging the fear response, you teach the horse that it can trust you. And trust is a much more permanent form of control than is anger.

Remember, It is not a "stupid" horse or a "bad" horse for doing this. It is just a horse, doing what horses do. To say anything else is to attach human characteristics and intent to its behavior - anthropomorphism. 

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d1/28/2d/d1282d5ae03ee836ff14f06729f728c1.jpg

Equine Colic - A Matter of Life and Death

Help - our horse just had a bout of colic. The fun never ends...but what is colic?

Colic in horses refers generally to gastrointestinal pains. If that's all it is, then I get colic all the time! Simple relief for me includes some rather unpleasant noises and odors. For a horse, it's not quite so simple. I'm learning that Equine Colic can be a life-threatening situation. In fact, colic is the leading cause of death for horses.

Unlike you and me, horses cannot belch to relieve gas pains. Moreover, because of their deep chests, when a horse rolls in an attempt to relieve the pain, it could cause the intestines or colon to twist (torsion) - a similar thing can happen to large chested dogs too. This is a life and death situation that is usually solved through emergency surgery.

From http://equinegutflush.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/colicrxhorse.jpg

What is the cause of equine colic - it's largely unknown but the prevailing school of thought suggests it's generally a result of diet. Horses have evolved as grazers that require almost constant eating and food in their stomach. They were not built to digest the high protein, high carb diets many horses today receive (Note: view my previous post on equine dentistry and floating teeth, another consequence of the present-day equine diet).

Some horses are more prone to it than others. It is also more likely to happen when there is a change in food which is why most people change their horse's diet slowly. And it seems to happen more frequently during the change in seasons with large temperature swings.

To relieve less serious bouts of colic, horses are walked frequently day and night. When the vet came out to see my daughter's horse, he stuffed a tube down his nasal cavity to pour electrolytes and mineral oil into the stomach. And he did a rectal exam to clear out any fecal compaction (nice, eh!). They fed him only minimally for the next day or so and put some apple juice in the water bucket to entice the horse to drink more. They also put some apple sauce in the beet pulp and bran to get him to eat it.

While I haven't received the vet bill yet, I'm not looking forward to it. But it could have been a lot worse if the people at the barn didn't catch it as early as they did. My daughter had to sleep at the barn that night and walk him every two hours. Just think of how this prepares daughters for the real world.

Cheers,
DDD

Follow-up (April 15, 2015) - I received the vet bill for the main visit and a follow-up visit. While I have learned over the past to cringe when I receive mail from the vet, this one wasn't as bad as I thought. It was just under $350 for the two visits. Considering the vet had his arm up the horse's butt past his elbow, that seems like a small price to pay!

Second Follow-Up (April 27 2015) - This weekend the vet had to come out again - Yikes! The horse was dehydrated again. He was outside all day before my daughter had her lesson and the weather had gotten cold again that day. The large variations in the temperature at this time of year (and it seems especially drastic this year) affect eating and drinking behaviors. They suspect he didn't drink while he was outside because it had gotten cold and the water was frigid. So I'm certain there will be another $350 bill coming my way in a week or so. And while I may have indicated earlier that these bills are smaller than I expected (considering what the vet has to do), they are beginning to add up!!